Pressed for Time
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed”
- Mahatma Gandhi, anti-colonial nationalist
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
It’s been hectic these past few weeks. I have been in back-to-back calls without much of a breather in-between calls. I’ve also scheduled night calls to suit my clients’ schedules and attended several webinars late at night as well due to the time differences between U.S. and Singapore. I didn’t realise how pressed for time I was until my youngest daughter remarked to herself that she is also stressed and pressed for time. I was curious and asked her where she heard the phrase “pressed for time” from. She replied, “Mummy, you say it all the time!”
Her words stopped me. I didn’t realise that I have been saying those words. I didn’t realise that I was giving my children the impression that I was so busy that I didn’t have any time for them. My youngest daughter had also started to mirror my stressful behaviour when she had homework to finish in the afternoon. She worked hurriedly and was also very stressed.
I then recalled that I wrote about time management in one of blogs published in February titled “Not Enough Time” which you can read here. In order to manage our time better, we look at our priorities and their importance to us. I realised that I wasn’t consciously planning my time aligned with my priorities these past weeks. Rather, I had allowed what I considered as pressing demands to take precedence of self-care and family time. Yes, the work related calls were important and I value and enjoy my coaching sessions with my clients. What I should have done is to set aside time during the weekend to effectively plan my week ahead with time blocked off for my family and for myself instead of filling in all the empty spaces in my calendar just because they were empty.
Do you also struggle with time management? How does your schedule for the week look right now? Do you have any time set aside for rest, family time, personal development and just fun? Does the phrase “pressed for time” resonate with you?
“Time is measured in minutes; life is measured in moments.”
Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash
When I think of managing my time in terms of my priorities of career, relationships and self, I am now mindful to do the following:
Career - in terms of my work and coaching calls, I schedule buffer time in between the calls to enable me to take a short break from the phone and laptop and do something completely different to unwind and get centred before my next call. If I am not able to do so between calls due to circumstances beyond my control, I consciously block off a longer time after the end of these calls to rest instead of jumping right back to reply to email messages. As for webinars, I ask myself, “Do I really need to attend this webinar for the growth of my business and personal development?”. If I have some doubts to its usefulness in that regard, I won’t sign up no matter how attractive the title and marketing blurb of the webinar.
Relationships - I have scheduled one-to-one time with my children in the coming weeks. I’m taking my son out for a weekday lunch as a treat as he is dismissed from school earlier that day. As for my girls, I’ve scheduled badminton time with both daughters in the evenings, 20-minutes catch up chat time with my elder daughter and 20-minutes hugging time with my youngest daughter. My husband and I will be going out for a coffee date this coming Sunday after church. Life is indeed measured in moments. These moments with my family bring me joy and fulfilment.
Self - I am keeping half an hour every night for myself to write in my journal. My reflection of each day helps me put the things in the right perspective and reminds me of the blessings I’m grateful for. I also carve out time for exercise and things I enjoy doing like watching a sitcom on weekend nights.
When you look at your schedule from the perspective of your priorities, how does it fare? Do you feel satisfied with how you have planned to use your time? I allow for empty spaces in my calendar to cater for impromptu and spontaneous events of creativity and fun. I confess that it is still a challenge for me to see empty spaces in my calendar. However, I remind myself that empty spaces in my calendar does not signify lack of productivity. They are there to allow for unexpected opportunities. They provide flexibility. They allow me time to slow down.
Some time management tips that have worked for me:
Being self-aware and intentional when I make my plans. I ask myself if I am allowing enough time for myself to be fully present for my creative work, coaching sessions, family and self.
Keeping a reasonable to-do list for each day. I also remind myself not to keep a long list but a shorter one with realistic expectations. I reflect at the end of each day how well my day went and in terms of unmet tasks, I reassess their level of importance and urgency and if they should be carried forward to the following day/week or removed.
As I plan my time, I ask myself how these activities align with my purpose for my career, relationships and self. It takes discipline and effort to stay on this frame of mind but I believe with consistent practice, it will become second nature to us.
Are you setting enough time to fulfil your larger purpose of career, relationships and self? Or are you settling just to get through the day? Do you want to feel empowered and at peace with your use of time? Are you pressed for time or is time allowing you the space for creativity, purpose and joy?
Contact me today to join my complimentary group coaching session this coming Wednesday (31 March 2021) at 8:00 p.m. Singapore (8:00 a.m. EST) to experience the power of support and accountability in a safe, non-judgmental group coaching environment. I look fContact me todayorward to meeting you and helping you to create a time management strategy that is unique for you to enable you to live a richer (and not busier!) and fulfilling life!
